Volunteers In Development, Education, & Solidarity

What Volunteers In Development, Education, & Solidarity does

Volunteers In Development, Education, & Solidarity (VIDES+USA) is a 501(c)(3) Catholic volunteer missioner program founded in 1997 in San Antonio, Texas, operating as the US arm of VIDES International (established 1987 by the Salesian Sisters / Daughters of Mary Help of Christians). The organization recruits young adults aged 21-35 through a multi-step application and Formation and Service Camp process, then places them at Salesian mission sites in 89 countries across Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania for service terms ranging from 2 months to 2 years. Volunteers serve children, youth, and women in poverty through education, youth ministry, community development, and social justice programs alongside FMA Sisters, with active projects including the Khartoum Emergency Relief Project in Sudan.

VIDES+USA's underlying infrastructure is human-capital driven, not technology-driven; the organization has no proprietary technology platform, app, API, or AI/ML capability. Its operational advantage derives entirely from its affiliation with the global Salesian Family network, which provides pre-existing schools, orphanages, youth centers, and communities across 89 countries. Supporting programmatic elements include the required pre-service Formation and Service Camp (held January, June, or July) and a Re-Entry Program for returning volunteers.

The business and revenue model is donation-based: VIDES+USA relies entirely on individual donations (one-time gifts, monthly giving), project sponsorships, and volunteer sponsorships, processed via mailed checks and PayPal. Revenue is not publicly disclosed. The organization holds Special Consultative Status with UN ECOSOC (since 2003) and the UN Department of Public Information, is registered under the USCCB group exemption (EIN 53-0196617), and is GuideStar-verified. The US entity is staffed by Sr. Sydney Moss, FMA (Texas Director) and Sr. Elfie del Rosario, FMA (New Jersey Director), with a total headcount in the 51-100 range across two offices.

Name

Volunteers In Development, Education, & Solidarity

Legal name

Volunteers in Development, Education, and Solidarity

Website

https://vides.us

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

VIDES+USA is a Catholic volunteer missioner program recruiting US young adults (ages 21-35) for 2-month to 2-year service placements alongside Salesian Sisters, serving children, youth, and women in poverty across 89 countries and funded entirely by individual donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

San Antonio

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time gifts, monthly donations, and project sponsorship from individual donors supporting the mission of serving children, youth, and women in poverty worldwide.
2. Volunteer Sponsorships: Support for specific volunteers or mission projects, providing funding for volunteer placement and program operations.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

VIDES+USA recruits young adults ages 21-35 through a multi-step application process and places them at Salesian mission sites in 89 countries to serve children, youth, and women in poverty through education, youth ministry, and community development. Volunteers commit to short-term (2 months), mid-term (3-5 months), or long-term (6 months to 2 years) service periods, with pre-service formation and post-service re-entry support.

Product overview

VIDES+USA is a Catholic volunteer missioner organization offering young adults (21-35) opportunities to serve globally in education and development. The core program is the Volunteer Missioner Program, which pairs volunteers with Salesian Sisters and priests at mission sites across 89 countries. Supporting services include the Formation and Service Camp (pre-service training), and the Re-Entry Program for returning volunteers. VIDES International serves as the parent organization operating in 42 countries with UN consultative status.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• VIDES+USA Volunteer Missioner Program A Catholic volunteer missioner program placing young adults (ages 21-35) at Salesian mission sites in 89 countries for short-term (2 months), mid-term (3-5 months), or long-term (6 months to 2 years) service focused on children, youth, and women in poverty.
• Formation and Service Camp (FSC) A required pre-service training camp held in January, June, or July that volunteers must attend before being placed at mission sites, covering Catholic values, formation, and practical preparation for overseas service.
• Re-Entry Program A program designed for volunteers returning home after mission service, helping them readjust and integrate their mission experience into everyday life through reflection and support.
• VIDES International Network The parent youth volunteering organization present in 42 countries (broader network reaches 89 countries), promoted by the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, with special consultative status with ECOSOC of the United Nations since 2003.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5,000+ volunteers have served through VIDES programs
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• United Nations ECOSOCflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2003VIDES International has Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) since 2003. This status allows VIDES to actively participate in UN forums, contribute to international policies promoting human rights, the right to education for all, and sustainable development, particularly for children, youth, and women.
• Daughters of Mary Help of Christians (Salesian Sisters)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVIDES+USA operates in close partnership with the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians (FMA), a missionary institute founded in 1872. VIDES was established in 1987 by the Salesian Sisters to provide volunteer service opportunities to young adults. The organization follows the Salesian educational system based on St. John Bosco's Preventive System (Reason, Religion, and Loving-kindness) and St. Mary Mazzarello's accompaniment model.
• United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVIDES International has Special Consultative Status with the UN Department of Public Information, enhancing its ability to participate in and contribute to UN initiatives and visibility.
• United States Conference of Catholic BishopscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVIDES USA is registered under the group exemption (#0928) of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, providing IRS tax-exempt status under the Catholic Charities USA umbrella (EIN 53-0196617).
• IIMA (Istituto Internazionale Maria Ausiliatrice)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIIMA is a non-governmental organization that creates a network between the Institute of the FMA's and the United Nations to protect and promote human rights. VIDES volunteers serve at the IIMA Human Rights Office in Bern, Switzerland, attending UN sessions and generating reports for Sisters working worldwide.
• Salesian Family (Salesians of Don Bosco)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVIDES is part of the broader Salesian Family, which includes the Salesian Fathers and Brothers (SDB) and Daughters of Mary Help of Christians (FMA). Volunteers serve alongside both Salesian Priests and Sisters in mission sites worldwide.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Maryknoll Lay Missioners: Catholic missioner program sending laypeople (typically young adults and families) for multi-year international service with the poor. Closely comparable target demographic, faith-based framework, and long-term international placement focus.
• Don Bosco Volunteers (Bosco Volunteer Service Network): International network of Salesian (Don Bosco) volunteer programs placing young adults in mission service across multiple countries. The closest direct peer in terms of religious-family affiliation (Salesian), volunteer demographic, and multi-country placement model — essentially the European/global cousin of VIDES+USA.
• Mercy Volunteer Corps: Catholic volunteer program sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy, placing young adults in year-long service with marginalized communities domestically and internationally. Directly comparable in faith-based positioning, young-adult target segment, and international placement model.
• Franciscan Mission Service: Catholic volunteer mission program rooted in the Franciscan tradition, placing young adults in domestic and international service. Comparable in faith-based identity, short-to-long-term placement formats, and nonprofit funding model.
• Holy Cross Mission Center: Catholic missionary outreach of the Congregation of Holy Cross, sending lay volunteers and missionaries to international mission sites. Comparable in faith-based missioner model and international placement focus.
• Jesuit Volunteer Corps (JVC): Faith-based (Jesuit/Catholic) volunteer missioner program placing young adults in domestic and international service for one or more years. Closely comparable to VIDES+USA in target demographic (21–35), duration structure, mission-driven nonprofit model, and reliance on religious-order infrastructure for placement and formation.

Broad incumbents

• Catholic Relief Services (CRS): Large-scale Catholic humanitarian agency implementing relief and development programs globally. Operates in the same faith-based NGO space with similar beneficiary populations (children, women, the poor) but is dramatically larger and focused on institutional humanitarian programming rather than individual volunteer placement.
• Salesian Missions: The U.S.-based development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, raising funds for Salesian missionary work worldwide. While structurally related (same Salesian family), Salesian Missions focuses on fundraising and development rather than volunteer placement, making it a broader incumbent in the same ecosystem rather than a direct volunteer-program peer.
• UN Youth Volunteers / United Nations Volunteers (UNV): United Nations program mobilizing young adults for volunteer assignments in development and humanitarian contexts globally. While secular and much larger, UNV operates in the same international young-adult volunteer placement space and shares the ECOSOC/DPI policy ecosystem with VIDES International.

Emerging players

• NET Ministries: Catholic young-adult mission and retreat ministry program with year-of-service teams serving youth across the U.S. Comparable in faith-based young-adult volunteer targeting, but primarily domestic and focused on youth ministry rather than international development work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/videsusa
• Facebookfacebook.com/VIDESUSA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vides-usa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Volunteers In Development, Education, & Solidarity